This invention relates generally to the field of windowgates which are installed in the openings of conventional double hung and outwardly pivoted windows in locations having relatively high incidence of crime, and more particularly to an improved form thereof offering improved adjustability and improved convenience in use with respect to the locking elements thereof.
In gates of this type, it is not practicable to provide locking means requiring a key, since upon the occurrence of an emergency, it is usually necessary for the occupants of the building to have immediate egress accessibility. As described in prior U.S. Pat. No. 4,274,218, granted July 23, 1981, it is known to configure the gate to include a shield over the locking mechanism, whereby access to the same from the outside of the building is impossible, while access to an occupant of the building is readily available.
In my above mentioned copending application, there is disclosed an improved form of locking mechanism in which a locking member is enclosed within a tubular shield leaving only the manually engageable member within an area accessible only to persons located interiorly of the window. This locking member is lifted by the user against the force of gravity to unlock the gate for swinging motion relative to the frame in which it is mounted. While the locking member may be then released, it must again be lifted to enable locking projections to clear before the gate is again placed in coplanar relation relative to the frame. More importantly, the locking bar must be manually held in its upper position while the gate is swung to open condition, which, in the case of relatively feeble persons or children, is not an easy one-handed operation. Depending upon the location of the window relative to the standing position of the user, the use of two hands to accomplish this purpose may be equally difficult, if not impossible.